Police departments that use riot control or “crowd control management teams” all use different tactics that have many impacts both positive and negative on the community. The tactics used to control riots in the past were simple. The police were almost always better armed than the rioters. The tactics they used consisted of forming a line and charging into the crowd, then beating rioters into submission. Today, the police are still well-armed, but tactics have advanced drastically with a significant hope of preventing injuries. Concerts, elections, rallies and parades as well as peaceful marches and violent protests are a few examples of settings requiring crowd control management. A non-violent protest or gathering can turn into a deadly war …show more content…
The oldest tactic used by riot control is knows at the baton charge. To conduct a baton charge the riot control units lined up shoulder to shoulder in the street and ran directly into the crowd, attacking and beating the protesters into submission. This is not used as often as it used to be, with brutality at an all-time high during these altercations law enforcement has to avoid violence at all cost, as well as limit destruction and damage to property, businesses and civilians that are not participating in the violence. Another tactic used is referred to as “Echelon Formation.” Crowd control teams line up in the street, forming a military-style column, known as an “echelon” able to move with ease. The echelon is not meant to be an impenetrable wall of officers. In fact, the crowd management team often leaves an escape route to let rioters run past the squad. The officers can adopt a passive position, where they spread out and leave several yards between each other. The crowd can then easily filter through the officers. If a violent group moves toward the officers or law enforcement spots specific suspects or instigators they want to arrest, they can move quickly and swiftly to close any gaps and form a tight line. As the unit moves forward into a crowd, it will prod and push at anyone who refuses to respond to requests to move away or ignores the command to vacate the area by the time the front echelon reaches them. If they still refuse to move, the unit continues moving forward and the front echelon opens up to passes around the protestors so they can be safely detained. Once the protestors are inside the perimeter of the unit, the echelon stops and the front echelon reforms as the arrest team processes the rioters. When they're done, the unit can continue moving. Tear gas is one of the most effective tactics used when it comes to forcing protesters to move.
Most law enforcement agencies have policies that determine the use of force needed. The policies describe the escalating series of actions an officer can take to resolve a situation, first level is officer presence which means no force is used, and just the mere presence can reduce
Stetser, Merle (2001). The Use of Force in Police Control of Violence: Incidents Resulting in Assaults on Officers. New York: LFB Scholarly Publishing L.L.C.
Even though many of the protesters were severely beaten, they still stood their stance and got the message out. What is a Riot? According to Encyclopedia.gov a riot “is a social occasion involving relatively spontaneous collective violence directed at property, persons, or authority.” There are five main
Early in the 17th century was when the first modern day policing was expected to have begun. Ever since the 18th century begun, incidences of police using excess force by abusing their power have been quite common. As time progressed, these wrongful actions by police have been entitled as police brutality. Police brutality is defined as" the use of excessive force used by police dealing with public... excessive force can be either physical, verbal, and/or psychological". According to this definition, whether it be arresting someone with too much force or even uttering certain statements, can all be classified as police brutality. No individual should be victimized by police officers who use excess force that in no way deters crimes. It does nothing but bring a dire unjust society in which innocent people can feel afraid; and give those officers who are correctly doing their duties a bad reputation. Due to the dispensable, unscrupulous nature of police brutality; several measures including disciplining police officers, stricter laws(and stringent penalties), integration, as well as educating the general public about their rights, must be applied in order to extirpate the misconduct citizens should not have to face.
...using chemical sprays or projectiles implanted with chemicals, such as pepper spray. Officers may also use “Conducted Energy Devices, CEDS” to control an individual, these weapons are usually known as Tasers. Tasers release a high-voltage jolt of electricity from a distance. A good situation in which law enforcement officers use this guideline is when they are trying to control riots. Using less-lethal technologies officers may be able to control a large group, if they are not able to restrain them then officers will be left to use blunt impact, chemicals such as tear gas or pepper spray, or even conducted energy devices until they are able to get ahold of the situation
(Source 2) This includes backup, along with the show of unity among the officers. The first tactical response is the soft squad approach. This involves officers equipped with proper response gear for dispersing a non-violent group that could become violent. This includes basic protective gear and equipment. A soft squad is best used when the crowd is gathering, mounting in numbers, blocking designated areas, being verbally resistant, and using bodies or hands to resist and/or combat officers. (Source 2) In my opinion, before a crowd becomes rowdy and start to get out of control law enforcement should talk to whoever is in charge of the gathering and let them know that you are there for safety precautions only. Often times when situations get out of hand arresting the people in charge of the protest is a good tactic to use. When a crowd becomes violent, officers need more than just their voice and handcuffs to suppress the disturbance. This is when some members of the crowd are using conventional or unconventional weapons such as Molotov cocktails or sling shots to assault officers. (Source 2) This is where the hard squad comes into play. These are the officers that carry all of the gear and equipment of the soft squad plus additional protective gear and weapons. This includes riot shields, tear gas, and rubber bullets. If necessary, police officers have access to military weapons.
The use of excessive force may or may not be a large predicament, but should be viewed by both the police and the community. Police brutality is hypocrisy as the police are meant to protect society from harm, not cause further damage and stress. Police should be trained properly so they do not resort to violence and abuse of power. Many cases of police brutality are not sanctioned and are undertaken by a group of police as a form of "mob mentality". Police are placed on a pedestal of authority and respect by the rest of society.
At the same time, Los Angeles police units were experiencing difficulties in handling situations in which riots and snipers were terrorizing basic police units. In response to these difficulties, LAPD officer John Nelson presented the concept of a squad which was specially trained to handle such situations to Inspector Darryl F. Gates. Gates approved the concept of a "highly disciplined" ...
Police brutality is a very real problem that many Americans face today. The police carry an enormous burden each day. Police work is very stressful and involves many violent and dangerous situations. In many confrontations the police are put in a position in which they may have to use force to control the situation. There are different levels of force and the situation dictates the level use most of the time. The police have very strict rules about police use force and the manner in which they use it. In this paper I will try to explain the many different reason the police cross the line, and the many different people that this type of behavior effects. There are thousands of reports each year of assaults and ill treatment against officers who use excessive force and violate the human rights of their victims. In some cases the police have injured and even killed people through the use of excessive force and brutal treatment. The use of excessive force is a criminal act and I will try and explore the many different factors involved in these situations.
Police use of force can be described as being the "amount of effort required by police to compel compliance by an unwilling subject.”(nij.gov, p.1) The stages of force police use are simple verbal and physical restraint, less lethal force and lethal force. Police officers are encouraged to use only enough force necessary to control a situation, arrest the person, or protect themselves or others from harm (p.1). When a situation begins to spiral out of control for the police officers, the next level should be used in order to gain control.
Police brutality is the considered use of unnecessary force, usually physical, carried out during law enforcement activities with the population. This type of behavior also includes verbal attacks and psychological intimidation by a police officer. Police brutality has an adverse effect on society, and it has lead to critical injury and even death. There are three different was to explain police brutality: the history, the reason, and the solution for it. The history, including the beginning or the first case of police brutality, the different police brutality through the times, and present day police brutality. The reason, including laws for police brutality, the cause of personal emotions or reaction of officers. The solution, involves protests,
Everyday law enforcement personal have the possibility to face dangerous events in their daily duties. In performing such duties a police officer could come by a seemingly ordinary task, and in a blink of an eye the event can turn threatening and possible deadly. When or if this happens to an officer they won’t have
Just how much force is appropriate under various circumstances can be debatable. When an officer uses excessive force, he or she violates the law. Most brutality is directed against minority groups or otherwise powerless populations. Officers who engage in brutality rationalize their use of extralegal force, they claim they are punishing those groups that threaten to disrupt the social order. The importance of understanding racism in the context of police brutality cannot be underestimated. Many police officials automatically regard racial minority group members as potentially dangerous regardless of their particular activities, gestures, or attire. This perception of racial minority citizens as “trouble” sometimes translates into racially discriminatory police behavior. Most police officers expect citizens to always surrender to police authority. When citizens challenge it instead, some officers view such behavior as the unofficial crime of disobeying a police officer and use physical force to gain compliance. So what can be done to help prevent police brutality around our
A riot is a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd. Martin Luther King once stated, “A riot is the language of the unheard” (Farrell). This meant Dr. King, who only led peaceful protests, knows what can trigger a riot. Riots happen when no one is willing to listen or assist those who were protesting, and then violence breaks out because of ignorance. Peaceful protests can turn into riots very quickly. The people of Tel Aviv wanted justice for Damas Pakada, an Ethiopian Israeli soldier, who was brutally beaten by two police officers with the entire incident being caught on a nearby surveillance camera. CNN Wire states that, “[Israel’s] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement saying that ‘all claims will be looked into but there is no place for violence and such disturbances’” (CNN Wire). Unfortunately, several people had to be injured for the government to look into the matter. 69 people were injured in total; 57 officers and 12 protesters, also 43 protesters were arrested in the protest that turned into a riot (CNN
According to the National Police Academy, in the past year, there have been over 7,000 reports of police misconduct; fatalities have been linked to more than 400 of these cases (Gul). Police brutality is often triggered by disrespect towards the police officer. The most noticeable form of brutality is physical, where Chemical gas, batons, tasers, and guns, can be used for physical intimidation or to actually hurt people. Police brutality can also take the form of verbal abuse or psychological intimidation. It seems reasonable to understand that sometimes the police are put into situations where excessive force may be needed. But, because some officers use these extreme actions in situations when it is not, police brutality should be addressed and looked into by both the police and the public. For instance, a police officer who beats a nonviolent protester with a baton would probably be accused of excessive use of force, under the argument that the police officer probably could have dealt with the situation less violently.